Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has made a claim that Moscow was willing to negotiate with Ukraine in the early months of the war, but the US and other Western nations advised Kyiv against it. This is consistent with remarks made by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year that Russia was ready for talks, but Ukraine’s Western allies prevented them from happening. The US and its allies have said that Moscow is not serious about negotiations to end the war, which is set to mark its one-year anniversary next month.
Lavrov’s remarks were made during a visit to South Africa, where he met with his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor. Russia is seeking to strengthen ties with Africa’s most developed country and a historical ally. South Africa has taken a neutral stance on the war and refused to condemn Russia’s invasion, which has disappointed the US and other Western partners. Lavrov’s visit to Africa comes as Russia is pushing to rally support for its stance on the conflict.
In his remarks, Lavrov stated that Russia supported the proposal of the Ukrainian side to negotiate early in the special military operation, and by the end of March, the two delegations agreed on the principle to settle the conflict. However, Lavrov claimed that the US, Britain, and some European colleagues told Ukraine that it was too early to deal, and the arrangement that was almost agreed was never revisited by the Kyiv regime.
Russia has repeatedly rejected Ukrainian and Western demands that it withdraw completely from Ukraine as a condition for any negotiations. President Joe Biden has indicated that he would be willing to talk with Putin if the Russian leader demonstrated that he seriously wanted to end the invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin0 (Via Vladimir Putin/Twitter)
The US and its allies have been critical of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and have imposed sanctions on Moscow. However, Russia has maintained that its actions in Ukraine were taken to protect Russian speakers and ethnic Russians in the country.
South Africa’s reticence on Ukraine has been seen as significant, as the country is a key player in the African continent and has a long history of relationships with Russia. South Africa has received significant support from the Soviet Union in the past, and the country’s ruling party, the African National Congress, has maintained strong ties with Russia. This has led to South Africa abstaining from a United Nations vote last year condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Despite this, South Africa has expressed concerns about the impact of conflicts on the developing world, and has called for peaceful resolutions to conflicts. South Africa is also set to hold joint drills with the Russian and Chinese navies off its eastern coast next month, which has raised concerns among Western powers.
The US has been seeking to counter Russia’s influence in Africa, and has sent several high-level officials to the continent in recent months. US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen visited Senegal and Zambia ahead of an official visit to South Africa starting on Wednesday. The US and its allies have been seeking to build relationships with African countries, and have been critical of Russia’s efforts to undermine Western influence on the continent.
